Zelliges

Our traditional Moroccan ZELLIGES (or zellij) are thin tiles in hand-made glazed terra-cotta. Each tile is hand-trimmed to exact size to leave 4 straight edges slightly bevelled on the underside with the aim of being able to lay them edge to edge in mosaic style. They are a much admired feature in palaces, hammams (bath houses), dars (houses) and riads (courtyard gardens), but also more modest houses and garden fountains and of course bathrooms and kitchens. They are a classic feature in the architecture of the western Islamic world. We offer a selection of sizes and colours for your design projects, in particular Zellige 100 x 100mm (4 x 4 inch) squares and Bejmat (75mm x 150mm or 47mm x 145mm) rectangle. Other sizes are possible to order. The Bejmat tiles are slightly thicker and retain their original edges with the glaze encroaching over the edges, so are therefore slightly more rustic and are close to the appearance of glazed bricks when laid in « brick bond ».

Moroccan Zelliges

In general our Moroccan Zelliges can be used for vertical tiling throughout an interior (or exteriors in non-freezing climates), and be used horizontally too, such as for kitchen and bathroom worktops and surrounds, and even in swimming pools. By the imaginative use of colour and bespoke sizes elaborate works of mosaic art can be created, for example as for traditional Moroccan fountains and pools.

Although frequently chosen for their amazing colours with their subtle colour variation, you can also opt for the more austere tones and even limit to the black, white or grey tiles that we stock. Over to you to design as you please, in the knowledge that these Zelliges tiles go so well alongside our other natural materials in wood, stone and un-glazed terracotta.